The incident began with a report of car burglaries in the parking lot at Grandville Towers, police said. ( Archive photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank police arrested three men on car-burglary charges after hot pursuits on foot early Monday morning, Captain Mike Frazee said Tuesday.
At about 2:38 a.m., police responded to a report by a witness of “multiple males” wearing all black clothing and face masks burglarizing cars parked in the lot outside the Grandville Towers apartment high-rise on Morford Place, Frazee told redbankgreen in a statement.
Police officers “immediately converged on the area to form a perimeter,” Frazee said. Among them, Patrolman Preston Mellaci noticed a group of three males fitting the description and attempted to stop them in the rear of the building, he said.
But as Mellaci exited his vehicle, the suspects fled the area on foot in different directions, Frazee said.
Mellaci chased down and tackled one on Brower Place, near Birravino restaurant, he said. At the same time, Sergeant Matt Ehrenreich chased and caught a second fleeing subject on Morford Place, near Allen Place.
Patrolman Stan Balmer found the third waiting in a suspected getaway vehicle, a white van parked on Depot Street that had also been identified by the witness, Frazee said.
A subsequent investigation by Sergeant James DePonte identified at least three vehicles that had been burglarized, with the possibility of others, he said.
Arrested were three Elizabeth residents: Jean C. Ramos, 27 years old, on charges of burglary and resisting arrest; Luis Tejada Jr., 25, charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and burglary; and Emerson Santana, 20, on charges of credit card theft, burglary and resisting arrest.
Ramos and Tejada were released on summonses due to bail reform, and Santana was transferred to the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, Frazee said.
Frazee said the incident underscores the importance of the “collaborative effort” between borough residents of Red Bank and police.
“I’d like to thank the caller for being brave enough to call when they did, as well as commend the responding officers,” he said. “I think everyone involved did a phenomenal job, and believe the quick actions of the caller and the officers made the apprehension a success.”
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